Smile of Truth
by We Don't Cry
Summary: In an elite academy of which she didn't want to enter, surrounded by shady adults of which she didn't want to encounter, Natsume Hyuuga was the least of her worries. When it seemed that he was only one she could count on, will he be the one to open her heart?
1. Homeroom

A steady hand held her chin in place. Strong black eyes held onto her stare as she tried to rip her hands free of the chain that painfully trapped them together. It was hard to breathe as she was struggling, and those dark eyes scared her nearly out of breath, but it was the rag wrapped around half of her face that held in every exhale she tried to take.

"You hid yourself surprisingly well," a eerily youthful voice said to her. It belonged to a man who had looked to be in her age group, but for some reason she knew that wasn't it. Others addressed him as the ESP, and behind the scenes, he was someone to fear.

He smirked and pulled down her rag for her to speak. When that darned thing was done restricting her breathing, she inhaled all the air she could manage to hold to make up for what she lacked in the past hour. Then, breathily, she said, "It's not that, it's because you guys are terrible at hide-n-seek."

He frowned and forcefully yanked up her rag over her mouth. She glared at him fiercely, not appreciating the gesture. "Watch your attitude when you're here, brat," he warned.

She would've hissed at him, but she was anxious of his reaction and decided against it. With a hard stare that was meant to be directed at him, she turned her gaze to burn holes in the ground beneath her feet.

Witnessing her behavior, he chuckled, a alien-like sound which her mind regarded as artificial. Maybe it just was because she had a deep hatred of this man, but everything about him seemed so disgustingly unnatural.

He turned around and directed some orders to other adults watching them, but she ignored every word he instructed them. It didn't matter what he was doing, not when she was busy forming plans of a great escape.

With one last glance at her, the ESP walked out of the room, a few bodyguards following him. When the door was opened for him, she caught a glimpse of another man, one who had blonde hair. The people that the ESP talked to had went up to chat with the man, and when everyone else left the room, he stood there, smiling at her.

It wasn't creepy or dark, but weirdly cheerful. He walked over to her and said, "I'm Narumi-sensei." He went to take off her rag and unlock all the chains on her body. "What's your name?"

She looked at him suspiciously as he undid the chains on her feet. Finally, she sighed and answered, "Maemi."

Usually, she would be wary of people like him, but when her limbs were set free and she could stand up and stretch, all hostile thoughts left her mind. He didn't seem like a bad person, not as bad as the ESP, but she'd be an imbecile to let down her guard around him.

"That's a nice name, which meaning do you go by?" He asked as he followed behind Maemi, who had already been set on leaving the room.

The question lifted her mood a bit and she nearly smiled. "Smile of truth," she answered softly, her mind drifting away to her life at her home.

It was silent as they walked for a moment when Narumi interrupted and said, "I'm your homeroom teacher." He paused at a door and Maemi stopped to look at him. "Welcome to class B, Maemi."

He opened the door to a classroom of silent students, all their eyes in the center of the room at a peculiar girl. She was on her knees on and she didn't seem happy in the slightest. Maemi stared at her.

She had long brown hair pulled into tight pigtails, but that was all Maemi could take note of since the girl's back was turned to her.

When Maemi turned around to ask Narumi-sensei what was going on, all she could find was a timid black-haired man near tears watching the scene unfold.

Maemi groaned and decided to take a seat. No one noticed her, and she hoped the peace would last a bit longer. She, like everyone else in the room, was watching two girls verbally dual it out, the pigtails one, and one with a perm.

"Is being an Alice that-" Pigtails said in disbelief. She had been interrupted by the perm.

"Yes, it's great."

Maemi had already gotten bored of their conversation. Her attention was no longer cast on them. Instead, she touched the back of her neck, where a white sticker of a fox was stuck on her skin. She could feel it restricting her, but it was painful to take off, so she'd have to keep it on for awhile.

These things, Maemi liked to call them the "charms", were made to restrict someone's alice. Luckily, she only had one of them. That was because she never used her Alice in front of the superiors, those wretched adults who wouldn't let her do anything in peace from now on.

True be told, Alice Academy was the prettiest jail she had ever seen. It could almost past for an elite school, save for the gigantic hole in the wall she saw when she had been brought here.

To think that innocent children and teens could be stolen from their homes and life to be brought here, where there was no escape if they had an unnatural natural ability which had been called an "Alice" for some reason. This wasn't an institute for geniuses, it was a slave dungeon.

"No." Pigtails suddenly said. "Over my dead body!"

"What...!" Replied the perm.

"I'm an Alice! Narumi-sensei said so!"

Maemi smiled at that, amused. This girl had spunk. She didn't seem very bright, but what she lacked in brainpower, she made up in attitude.

"But I don't think that Alices are better than others. If there's anything you people have more than others, it's your rotten personalities, morons," the brunette girl yelled. "Why don't you get that useless brain replaced, huh, airhead?!"

Maemi laughed at that, but then a chubbier kid went over there to fight pigtails. Just when he was about to punch her square in the jaw, a short-haired girl came in and smacked him away with a makeshift hoof.

"Imai?!" The perm exclaimed.

"Excuse me, but I'm the only one allowed to make her cry..." Imai said, "so don't lay your hands on her."

That was when Maemi decided to stand up. Everyone was already wild in the confusion, so the only way she could get their attention was to shove herself in the middle of everything. So, that's what she did.

"Hello," Maemi said as she went up to the two girls. "I'm Maemi, want to be friends?"

Imai and pigtails looked at her incredulously, but pigtails suddenly hopped up as if nothing was wrong and said, "Sure, I'm Mikan Sakura and this is Hotaru Imai! Are you new?"

Maemi nodded, ignoring the stares they were getting from everybody in the room. "Yes, I believe I enrolled in right after you."

Mikan seemed to cry of relief and immediately went to hug her while Maemi stood there awkwardly, exchanging words in glances with Imai.

"You have got to be kidding me," the perm roared, staring directly at Maemi. "Now we have two useless commoners?!"

Maemi could sense that the perm didn't like her very much, and for a different reason than Mikan. She couldn't tell if she wondered this to flatter herself, but could it be that the perm was jealous? A woman's jealousy is the strongest essence the world could handle, and it was dead obvious when it was present.

Maemi glanced around and found a black-haired boy stare directly at her. His expression was empty, but his eyes were red and held almost a curiosity in them. She tried to disregard his burning gaze and focus on the matter at hand.

"Hey, perm," Maemi said to her icily. "What you're doing is bullying. Not to mention that you look like an idiot doing it."

"Wha- why you!" She said. "Who do you think you are, I bet you're just some fake like that other thing." She pointed at Mikan, so Maemi guessed Mikan was "that other thing."

Mikan was about to retaliate when someone else's voice was heard, bring the whole room to silence. As it turns out, it belonged to that black-haired, red-eyed boy.

"Yo, polkadots, stormy," he said.

Stormy? Maemi wondered, was it because of her hair color. She'd be lying if it wasn't exactly the shade of a storm cloud. The name was strange, but they were only elementary schoolers, so what did she know? At least her nickname hadn't been "Polkadots" because Maemi could already guess what that had been about.

"I heard that if you can't get along with the people in this class within a week, you can't enroll here," he told them.

Maemi glanced over at Mikan, who had been holding tightly onto both her and Imai. Maemi said, "Does that apply to me, too?"

The boy shrugged. Maemi knew that it hadn't, the ESP wouldn't let her leave even if she destroyed the entire building. Still, she decided to play along with the worthless new student act.

"Okay, me and Mikan'll try to be nice," Maemi answered. She pulled out of Mikan's reach for a moment and walked over to the black-haired boy and his assumed friend, a blonde.

He raised an eyebrow at her, but she put on a small smile, one that more resembled a smirk than anything. "What're your names?" She asked.

The boy silently stared at her, but decided to answer. "Natsume," he said. The boy next to him was wide-eyed in surprise for some reason.

"...Ruka," the other boy said hesitantly.

"I hope we get along well," Maemi said, her smile growing wider. Her eyes held a mischievous gleam in them, one that almost unnerved Natsume.


	2. Lunch Break

**A/N:**

Are you enjoying it so far? No? Well, the first chapter wasn't all that interesting, I understand. I'll make up for it, I hope.

But, anyway, if you want to keep up with the updates on this story, follow it. If you love it already, favorite it. And if you care more than a rat's butthole about the story, please, please, please **review**.

* * *

In the cafeteria, Sumire, the perm girl, had been glaring daggers at Maemi. Maemi knew why, it had been painstakingly obvious.

She was told that Sumire was the president of the Natsume and Ruka fan-club. Though Maemi had only talked to Natsume once, that enough seemed to rouse something irrational in Sumire's mind to hate her already.

Mikan was categorized as a no-star student, but she had made it past the entrance examination, meaning she was an official student. Hotaru had turned out to be a three-star student, which had been rare. Ruka was also a three-star. Sumire was a two-star. Lastly, Maemi figured out that Natsume was a special-star, which was impressive for an elementary schooler.

Maemi herself was told by the ESP that she would be categorized as a no-star, meaning she would treated as if she was a homeles old man on campus. That wouldn't do at all, and once she realized all the lack of benefits that came with that title, she immediately demanded a higher ranking.

Strangely, the ESP seemed to doubt his ability to handle her and gave into her demands. The only catch was that if her Alice turned out to be weak, her special-star status would be revoked and she would be back where she started. Even he didn't know what her Alice was, which was enough to give Maemi the upper hand.

She sat at a table with only Imai and Mikan. Maemi realized that both of them were gluttons, and Mikan's pathetic ration of food wasn't going to be enough to satisfy her. Feeling sorry for her newfound friend, Maemi decided that she wasn't that hungry and gave Mikan half of her food.

Being a special-star gave her way more than she could eat anyway, so she thought of it as Mikan doing her a favor rather than the opposite. Of course, they couldn't eat in peace, though.

"Now that I think about it, Ms. Special-Star, what's your oh-so-great Alice?" Sumire asked.

Maemi was afraid of that topic of conversation. She hoped that the kids forgot about it, but it looked like her luck had run out. She didn't want to tell them since she wanted to keep her advantage.

"Why are you so curious about it?" Maemi had dodged the question, but she had a feeling that Sumire wouldn't let it end there. She blamed Natsume for this, Sumire's hatred of her was his fault.

"Because I want to know if you deserve your status," Sumire answered easily.

"I thought two-stars were decently behaved students. How do you deserve _your_ status?" Maemi taunted.

Sumire gasped loudly. "I am better than decently behaved!" She argued. "I'm only kind to those who deserve it."

Maemi shrugged and the conversation was over. At least, until somebody decided to open his big mouth.

"You never told us what your Alice is," Natsume told her, his eyes challenging.

Maemi glared at him harshly. He's such a pest, she thought. Sumire smiled goofily at this, elated that Natsume had been taking her side. He only smirked when Maemi made her annoyance clear to him.

"It's none of your business," she said rebelliously. "Why don't you people have lives?"

"Why don't you want people to know so badly, are you afraid we'll find out that you manipulated your way into getting that star status?" Sumire suggested, now much more confidently with the knowledge Natsume and her were somewhat on the same page.

Mikan stuck out her tongue at them. "Mind your own beeswax, Permy!"

"P-Permy?!" She yelled. "I have a name, stupid!"

Natsume ignored the both of them. "Since we're both special-stars, don't you think that _I_ at least deserve to know?"

"No."

Natsume sighed at Maemi's blunt response. Then his eyes gleamed with something incomprehensible. "How about we have a duel, then?"

"Natsume!" Ruka, who had been sitting silently, yelled in disbelief.

"You only have two choices, tell me, or duel with me." The look he gave her was dead serious. This boy, she realized, was as reckless as he was stubborn, which had been a dangerous combination.

Maemi sighed, not wanting to get in trouble and encounter the ESP or one of his drones. She was silent for a moment and debated on it. Why would it matter if she told him, it wasn't like he could do anything about it, she reasoned.

After a moment or arguing with herself, Maemi decided to just get it over with. "I make sounds," she answered vaguely.

"That's stupid," Sumire said, chuckling.

Maemi rolled her eyes at her because it was actually Natsume who she directed her answer at, so she cared little for what the perm said. She hoped he wouldn't push the answer. He was so stubborn that it was becoming a chore to disobey him.

"Explain," he said. This time, Maemi groaned out loud.

"Why?" She whined, tiring of the conversation. Natsume was clearly enjoying it. That sadist, she thought.

"Because I said so. We'll have to fight it out otherwise."

She rubbed her temple for a moment, both in irritation and in thought. It was hard to describe her Alice. Deciding on the explanation that would intimidate others the most, she explained, "I have the sound breaker alice."

"I control sounds as a weapon. Kind of like fire-boy over there." Everyone who had listened to her explanation went quiet, and Maemi relished in the silence. She ate her bento while they all stared her in disbelief.

Mikan made a face at them, proud to have a friend like Maemi, who can scare Sumire into shutting up. Really, no one else in the academy had yet been able to do that.

Maemi chewed on her food in silence, happy to finally get to eat. Imai, who had finished her food while the conversation was happening, pointed to a sausage cut into the shape of a cute comical octopus and Maemi handed it to her. Though they rarely talked, they had already been good friends.

Then suddenly, Sumire laughed. She didn't just laugh, she laughed loudly, much louder than what a sane person sounded like. "You're bluffing, aren't you?" She said.

"Oh my god, do you ever shut up?" Maemi said, exasperated. She only had a small amount of patience welled up inside of her, and Sumire was ripping it apart.

Sumire took great offense in that statement, like one would expect. "I will once you prove it," she challenged.

"No," Maemi answered immediately. "If you wanted to die, try to escape the academy instead."

And for once, it was left at that.

* * *

Maemi was taking a stroll around the school. It was a calm, placid day, one of those days that she couldn't stand being cooped up in that stuffy room of hers.

She picked some flowers just to play with them. Sometimes she hummed in the forest, her sound Alice making her voice echo and soothe the creatures there. Other times, she bathed herself with the day's cool warmth in a tree's shade.

In fact, it was when she was laying down on the ground blowing dandelions that she heard the rustle of her tree. Only a split moment later did someone hop out of it, a boy older than her with a star marking under his eye.

"Who're you?" He asked.

"Who're you?" She answered.

He laughed and said, "The name's Tsubasa, but I'm pretty sure I asked you first."

She gave a small smile and said, "Maemi, nice to meet you." His cheeriness was infectious she had to admit. "Actually, while I've got you here, do you happen to know where the Special Abilities class is?"

His eyes widened in realization. "Don't tell me you're one of the new students?"

"I am," she said.

"Well, then welcome. I'm your senpai starting from now on." He grabbed her by the hand and said, "We have to hurry, we're going to miss the welcoming ceremony!"

He pulled her along and ran quickly. She tried to keep up with his pace, but her legs were nowhere as long as his. Finally, Maemi gave up halfway there and skidded to a stop, making Tsubasa pause in his running. Like a child, she opened up her arms and ushered for him to pick her up.

Tsubasa stared at her with amazement. He had heartily laughed and picked her up easily, acting like they had already been close enough for him to attempt that. Her arms were laced around his neck and she sat comfortably while he ran. It hadn't took long to get to the room.

He put Maemi down like she had weighed nothing at all. As soon as she was down, the spotlight was immediately cast on her as the other students surrounded. They bombarded Maemi was welcomes, questions, and compliments, but it was difficult for her to take in at once.

Slightly intimidated, her ears were having a hard time tuning in. That was a setback in her alice. Too many noises at once confused her unless they were muffled. Right now, everyone tried to speak louder than the other as if she couldn't hear them. She almost couldn't.

"Tsubasa-senpai..." She said quietly, backing up. Tsubasa grinned at her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Calm down and back up, folks, you're freaking her out!" He said. They obeyed and her ears could finally hear clearly. Maemi had a feeling that she would attach herself to Tsubasa often when she was in here.

The crowd separated with apologetic smiles, but they didn't completely disperse. When she could actually see past the knot of people, Maemi found Mikan talking to an older girl. Mikan seemed to notice her just then, too.

"Maemi!" She yelled, running towards her. "I can't believe we're in the same class, that's amazing! This is great, we have everything together, we even got transferred at the same time, I just wish Hotaru was with us. Darn her for having an alice like that!"

Mikan kept on talking and Maemi listened with a smile. Then when Mikan finally ran out of words on the topic, Maemi said, "Have you met Tsubasa-senpai?"

Mikan looked up at him, just noticing his presence. He smiled and winked at her. "Wah, he's so cool!" Mikan exclaimed, stars in her eyes.

Another girl came by, one who looked Tsubasa's age. "It's a good thing you two are already acquainted, now we don't have to worry about the awkwardness the first day brings," she said. "My names Misaki, welcome to our unorthodox class. Our teacher is off in another branch of time, so you'll meet him later."

Maemi nodded. Though it seemed like a rowdy class, she already liked it. Truthfully, she was supposed to be admitted in the Dangerous Ability class, but the ESP was sure she'd cause trouble. If he had ever sent her off on any missions, she might willingly join the enemy side just to anger him. That assumption wasn't too far from the truth, Maemi would take any chance to cause the ESP some trouble. That was a good thing because now she was with nicer people than what she had expected.

"Well, where's the cake?" Tsubasa suddenly asked. Another student held it up and everyone sat down at large conjoined table.

The atmosphere in the room was carefree and exceptionally friendly, and it had been rubbing off on Maemi. She talked to others less guardedly as she did in class and she didn't have to keep a blank expression on at all.

"You two are the youngest here, so we're all your senpais." Misaki said. "But you'll have to choose one official one. It's so that not everybody tries to carry you guys."

Mikan immediately raised her hand. "I want Misaki-senpai!" She told them. Misaki chuckled and agreed with her proposition.

"Then... I want," Maemi said as she glanced around the room. People raised their hands and urged her on. "Tsubasa-senpai."

"You have good taste," he said, giving her a wide smile. Then he raised up his glass of soda and said, "Cheers, everybody." Everyone else in the room joined him, including Maemi, and brought up their soda glasses to cheer.

* * *

For the first time in awhile, and the first time in this school, Maemi was completely content. She had a good pokerface, but when she was so elated, there was no way to hide her emotions. That was the reason behind her name Maemi, "Smile of Truth."

She was so happy, in fact, that she had a skip in her step and a small smile etched in her face. She barely paid attention to her surroundings, but it was impossible to say that she was off her guard.

While she was walking on a warm trail she found Persona in the distance, seeming to be looking for something. Persona was the ESP's dog that did his dirty work. He was intimidating, simply said, and he wasn't in a chipper mood.

The man had a mask on like always. His alice was the mark of death alice, which meant he could basically poison people with a simple touch. It was said that one touch from him could be lethal, but only if he intended it to be.

By her feet, she heard something rustle. Turning around to find it, Maemi saw Natsume hiding silently behind a large rock. He was probably what Persona had been looking for. He was in trouble, that was for sure.

Their locked eyes for a second, and he put his finger in front of his lips, hushing her. The look in his eyes stated that he'd really prefer to not be caught. She didn't like Natsume very much, but as much as she told herself otherwise, she wasn't heartless.

She left his gaze and Natsume was left to regret his actions when he first met her. If she were to tell on him to Persona, he was as good as dead.

Persona had been walking in Natsume's direction and thinking quickly, Maemi walked on towards the wall, looking panicked and jumpy, trying to keep herself as hidden as possible. The school wall was just a few feet from where she she stood, and she stared at it resolutely, harnessing her alice.

Natsume watched her like a hawk with nervous anticipation and a small speck of hope. He had no idea what she was pulling and who's side she was on, but it'd make sense for her to be against him. That didn't stop the silly feeling bubbling inside him that she didn't hate him as much as he'd assume.

Just before she could blow down the school wall, someone grabbed her roughly by the arm and yanked her back. She grunted in pain and looked up wide-eyed at the person, as if she thought she had been alone.

"So you're the one trying to escape, then. Nice try," Persona said. Maemi scoffed and looked away from his gaze. The hand that held onto her arm was starting to burn. His alice was activating whether he intended it to or not. She could almost hiss at the pain shooting through that spot he held onto. "I'll have to get you disciplined."

Maemi said nothing, afraid of angering him. He pulled her along back into the school building, completely forgetting about what he had been doing before. She passed by Natsume, who had already made his way up a tree. Maemi glanced at him for a split second and he looked almost apologetic, but she didn't know for sure. When she saw him, her pace of walking slowed and she was yanked by Persona, which only irritated her already poisoned skin.

The pain was almost unbearable, and Persona looked as if he didn't know that he was activating that alice of his. Still, it was better her than Natsume. He must have gotten this treatment often, so Maemi thought she would spare him of this one.

Back near the wall, Natsume stared at the girl being pulled by Persona with a frown etched on his face. She deliberately got in trouble, and for what? Him? The boy who pissed her off and made her say things that she'd rather not?

Natsume didn't know Maemi a lot, in fact, he barely knew her at all. What he really knew was that she didn't like him very much, but yet she was getting her her hand scolded and a harsh punishment for his sake. The thought unraveled at his understanding. Something stirred in him a bit, but he couldn't find the energy to pay attention to it.

He contemplated on stopping Persona, but then they'd both be in trouble after everything Maemi had just done to help him. That would most likely annoy her to no end, and she already must have been appalled enough by the turn of events.

Natsume sighed and watched them leave his sight, unconsciously clenching his fist. He wasn't able to do anything about something that had been his fault to start with.

* * *

Maemi walked through the already opened doors of class B. She took a seat next to Mikan and Imai, but was silent.

Everyone else wasn't silent as she was though, they were already pointing and whispering. Maemi had been wearing a dog leash-like collar around her neck and a multitude of flashy bracelets. Everyone knew it wasn't a fashion choice, it was mandatory. The only reason she wore so many "charms" at once was because she was in big trouble.

All the way in the back of the classroom, Natsume sat with a manga covering his entire face. It was good that it did, he had been wearing an unhappy expression ever since he had woken up. He knew Maemi had entered the room when people around him started whispering loudly.

"Oh, look at that," Sumire started, standing up and putting herself in the middle of the classroom. "You got in trouble yesterday?"

Maemi turned around and looked at her with an unimpressed expression. "So what if I did?"

Sumire laughed with a hand over her mouth, relishing in her victory. She excitedly turned around and ran to the back of the classroom. Maemi raised an eyebrow at her sudden perkiness, but said nothing.

"Natsume-kun, isn't she the worst?!" Sumire started dramatically. Maemi rolled her eyes, having already anticipated this. "She's such a bad person, she probably went and attacked someone! What if we're next?"

Maemi didn't expect him to answer. He was probably taking a snooze under there and the last thing he wanted was for his fan-club president to bother him with her talkativeness.

"Shut up," came his reply. It was much harsher than Maemi had expected, and everyone in the room noticed that, creating a frightening atmosphere.

"But, Natsume-kun, she-"

"Didn't you hear me? Shut up and mind your own business before I burn you," he threatened, his voice strangely calm.

Maemi's eyes widened and most of the class gasped. He was never _this_ angry at one of his fans before. They weren't even sure what provoked him, Sumire had always been like that.

Sumire's eyes had gotten watery, which upset her two minion fan-club members, who hardly did anything more than stand around her. Maemi and Imai exchanged an exasperated expression, Maemi's being a bit more emotional than Imai's. Nevertheless, they were both equally annoyed, though probably not as much as Natsume.

"Fine, you idiot," she screamed, running out of the class. Eyes followed her movement, but no one but the minions followed her. Once the door was slammed shut, Maemi let out a relieved sigh. It seemed that Natsume did too, and they ended up sighing unanimously. It brought the ghost of a smile to both of their faces, not that anyone had noticed.

Moments later, their teacher, Narumi-sensei came into the classroom. "So, children, anything interesting happen?"

* * *

DEDICATED TO _**musicxanimexme** _FOR BEING THE FIRST TO SHOW HER LOVE~


	3. Skipping Class

Dedications here go to BloodyRedFalcon and Sweetsour.

Wow, here I am and here you are. Did you see how mean Natsume was to Sumire in the last chapter? Yeesh.

••••••••••

For class B, it was a relatively quiet day. The teachers were nowhere to be found, maybe off in a conference that kids never understood. The class was scattered off in little groups and no one felt the need to cause trouble.

Everyone was present except for the one. Maemi was already going to be twenty minutes late to class, but she probably wasn't going to go anyway.

She was walking slowly in the hallway, a deep gash in her arm that was covered up by only a meek piece of cloth. Her clothes and hair were ruffled. She had stains of red scattered around on her body, the liquid still fresh and brilliantly red. Maemi held onto the wall occasionally as she walked to steady herself when her body felt like tipping over. It was understandable, she lost more blood than what was considered safe.

The hallway was secluded since class had already started. Maemi felt relieved trudging down past the empty corridors, not wanting to explain to anybody about her current state.

While roaming aimlessly in the hall for a little while, Maemi heard someone else's footsteps. When she looked around, she found a little boy, probably from the preschool section, walking towards her. He had brown hair and big gray eyes, and looked to be only about three or four years old.

He had a surprisingly familiar blank look on his face as he stood a few feet from her. He looked conflicted on what to do. The girl in front of him was hurt, but he knew better to judge on appearances alone.

Maemi could easily guess what he was thinking and sighed, her voice unintentionally shaky. Normally, it wouldn't matter if a stranger didn't trust her, but she had a feeling that she would like him for some reason. Maybe she missed the innocent way children looked at her. She might be missing the way they believed and admired her, but that should be in the past. There was no reason to desire what was already abandoned.

Seeing as the little boy wasn't going to talk, Maemi took the initiative. "Are you lost?" She asked.

He stared at her and shook his head. Maemi looked at him skeptically. The only thing in the direction that he was heading in was the laundry room and janitor's closet.

She almost chuckled when she saw his eyes flicker to the ground after he had answered. He was a good liar, but too young to beat her. His behavior seemed familiar, Maemi just had forgotten who he reminded her of.

"Are you meeting up with somebody then?' She tried, pretending to be completely oblivious with what he was really thinking. Kids always seemed satisfied with that.

He nodded.

"Who?"

The boy looked at her, hesitating. She didn't look too trustworthy with her injury, but it was either fool her into thinking he was just casually looking for a friend, or admit to her that he carelessly got his childish self lost. He preferred the former.

"Nat..." he started, trying hard to pronounce the name. "Sue... May..."

Maemi looked amused, raising one eyebrow. She disregarded the pain that her injury brought for a second. "You're searching for fireboy Natsume?" She asked.

He nodded. "Well, I happen to know him, but I'll only show you under two conditions."

The boy looked at her suspiciously. "The first one is that you don't tell people that it was me who showed you the way," she explained. "The second - Introduce yourself to me."

"Youi...chi..." He tried, not sure if he had said it correctly. He pronounced his words exactly the way his age would suggest. Still, Maemi thought he was pretty smart, he had a mature look in his eyes. That didn't explain why he wanted to hang out with Natsume of all people, though.

"Youichi, nice to meet you, I'm Maemi Airlea," she introduced. Maemi stuck out her uninjured hand for him to shake and put on a smile while she was at it.

Youichi looked at her hand for a second, but decided that she was too injured at this point to harm him. He also felt bad that he was making someone who was hurt to show him the way to Natsume's class, so it was best if he was nice to her. The boy stuck out his small hand and grabbed Maemi's.

She was waiting for him to shake it, but when he didn't, she figured that he thought that she just wanted to hold his hand. Were little kids always this adorable?

Maemi smiled and wrapped her fingers in his. She liked him already, and she could tell that he was warming up to her, too. At least one good thing came out of her first bad day at the school.

"Don't tell anyone my name when you get there," she reminded Youichi. He was unresponsive, just holding onto her hand.

When she started to walk, Youichi planted his feet on the ground so that she wouldn't be able to move. "... up," he said.

She looked at him, holding back a smile. Tsubasa must have felt the same way when she made him carry her to class. It felt like a way of saying that you trust the other person to let them hold you so close. She liked that feeling.

Without a word, she bent over and picked him up with both arms, seeing as she only had a cut, not a fractured bone. There was a noticeable pain when she exerted herself to do this, but she paid it no mind. Deciding to make it easier on herself, she let Youichi comfortably sit on her shoulders.

Youichi let her lift him up with no fidgeting. He didn't get the feeling that she was a bad person. She also knew Natsume and even used a nickname to describe him, so Youichi guessed that she was safe.

He was situated atop her shoulders, giving him a taste of what being a teenager's height was. Youichi, being a child, constantly needed entertainment and found it in Maemi's hair.

While she walked, he studied her head. Her hair had been a silvery color, one that reminded him of little coins. He played with a few locks of it, completely mesmerized by the color. Maemi noticed his infatuation with her hair and chuckled.

"It's a pretty color, isn't it? Natsume calls me a storm cloud because of it, but I think that's the lamest nickname." She told him. He started petting her head and she looked up curiously. "Your eye color is pretty, Youichi."

"... gray," he told her. His eye color was a shade of gray. Youichi then had an idea.

"That's a unique eye -" Youichi cut her off by bending his upper body forward to look at her face. "What're you doing?" Maemi asked, slightly surprised.

"Green.." He said quietly. Maemi smiled.

"You have gray eyes, I have green eyes. Don't you think our eye colors are nice?" She asked. He had still been blocking her vision, but he nodded.

After a second of staring at her face, he used his finger and poked her cheek. Finally, he straightened his back and sat the way he had been supposed to. With no more major distractions, they made it to the classroom fairly quickly.

Maemi set Youichi down on the floor and waved, smiling. She turned to leave, not staying out long enough to get caught.

"... thank you," the boy said quietly. Maemi paused for a second to acknowledge that she had heard him. A second later, she heard the small footsteps he made as he walked inside the classroom.

She walked off, maybe to the nurse's office, maybe to her room. Maemi didn't know where she needed to be right now. She should fix that injury as soon as possible, but she didn't feel like ruining her good mood to explain to the nurse about her injury.

Sighing, she made her way down the hall towards the infirmary. Luckily, no one was in there, so she took a few medical supplies and dashed to her dorm.

•••••••••

It seemed like a decent day to Natsume. Sumire avoided talking to him too much, as did the other girls in class. Ruka was cheerful as always, Mikan and her devil friend didn't bother him, and that girly teacher Narumi was nowhere to be found.

Youichi was sitting on top of his lap, looking completely interested with silently messing with him. Natsume feared that if Youichi came he would only attract annoying females, but it didn't look like any girl would coo over him. Youichi had a habit of using his alice when he was being flocked by his fans.

"Natsume," Ruka said, "do you want to go to Central Town?"

Natsume looked at Youichi and asked, "How about it?"

Youichi immediately nodded, giving both Natsume and Ruka their answers. "Now?" Natsume asked.

Ruka shrugged. He petted a small hare that had snuggled closely in his hands. "Nothing interesting is going to happen anyway, why not?"

Just when they were about to leave, Mikan stood in front of their path with a smile on her face. "What's Central Town?" She asked, not moving out of their way.

"It's a marketplace for students to spend their rabbits," Ruka explained.

"Can Hotaru and I come?" She asked, attempting at a puppy-dog expression. Natsume quickly shook his head with Youichi mimicking him.

"... ugly," Youichi told her. Mikan's eyes widened, her expression dramatically hurt. Natsume smirked and whispered something in Youichi's ear. "Ugly monkey," Youichi said, probably saying what Natsume told him to.

"Ugh," Mikan said, as if recovering from a blow, "whatever... I don't care what you say, I'm coming!"

Natsume shrugged and pushed past her to go, Ruka following closely. Mikan ran up behind them, pulling an unwilling Hotaru along. During the entire walk, Mikan bombarded the boys with questions, most being answered by Ruka.

"Where's Maemi?" Mikan suddenly asked. No one knew the answer, but Natsume caught Youichi gripping his shirt. Did he know something about her? "Why would she be absent? She lives in the academy like the rest of us."

Before any more words were spoken on that topic, they had arrived at Central Town. True to its name, it was exactly like a normal town, excluding the fact that it had been filled with alices. It was a relatively large area bustling with people, most being personnel of the academy.

Class was still in session, not many students could go here. It looked like the only kids there were from the junior high and high school sections, the only groups that weren't afraid to cross their teachers and skip.

Despite their elementary school origins and small bodies, they were very noticeable among the crowd of shoppers. Natsume already had the his name leave the mouth of everybody important in the school, it wasn't surprising that he was still the talk of the town. Ruka was a bit famous too, half because he hung out with Natsume, half for his popularity. People also knew of Hotaru, she was by far the most talented in the technology division. Mikan was a bit left out though, she wasn't a household name unlike her acquaintances.

They had gotten to the most popular square district in Central Town. That was when everyone walked off to shop by themselves. Ruka and Mikan went to check out a toy shop. Hotaru went to check out a warehouse. Natsume had just let Youichi lead the way.

Not too long later, they all found each other. Hotaru had bought unknown mechanical parts and tools while Mikan had bought herself a potato. Ruka hadn't spent his money yet while Natsume bought Youichi Howalon, a famous candy sold only in Central Town.

"What's that?" Mikan asked, pointing at the fluffy pink things Youichi was eating. She had been full of questions today.

"It's Howalon, the most popular treat that they sell here." Ruka answered. "It's really good, you should try some. The smallest box they sell is ten rabbits."

Youichi had only one more puff of Howalon left. He pulled it out of the box and held it out for Mikan. When Mikan was aware of his kind gesture, her eyes lit up, but just when she was about to accept it, Youichi ate the last piece.

"Wha..." Mikan started, looking as if she was going to cry. Youichi stuck out his tongue at her.

"The only way you're getting Howalon is if you earn the rabbits," Hotaru said, not all that worried about her friend.

Somehow, later Mikan had recruited the entire class to help her earn the money. She had the strange idea of putting on the performance of The Little Match Girl. No one understood her idea enough to argue with her so the production went smoothly. Some people went and spread the word, others gave Mikan something to add to the production. The class president was in charge of making the special effects, since Mikan's acting alone wasn't going to cut it.

Youichi even decided to stick around, but Natsume was nowhere in sight. He actually found himself a small decorative tree to lay under in the middle of the streets of Central Town. He didn't feel like helping Mikan do something insane for some candy. It was better to just make up on his missed naps.

Not so far from where all the commotion was Maemi, who had been sitting on the roof of a large shop. It was by pure chance that she happened to be where her homeroom was gathered, but she didn't really pay them much attention. She had already went shopping by herself, purchasing only one thing.

Maemi had somehow figured out what Mikan had been planning. She wanted to help, but her alice wasn't useful in these situations. She couldn't help manually by bringing herself over there and just offering assistance, it would've been strange after everyone believed that she had skipped class.

She looked around, her eyes catching the few people who she almost considered her friends. There was Mikan struggling with her costume, Imai telling people about the performance, Ruka helping with the props, and even Youichi, who stood there wondering what he could do. Maemi had also spotted Natsume, not that far off from the scene. He had been laying down on a patch of greenery, his eyes already closed. It was a wonder how he could have slept with all the noise.

The roof of the music shop was very flat, resembling a large balcony. There wasn't anything to promote safety up there, just like how she preferred it. She could clearly catch the performance up there, making her slightly happier than she should've been at such a simple occurrence. It felt like she had a special reserved seat at a play, which was something she had wanted to experience before she had been taken to this school.

Maemi shook her head as similar thoughts entered her mind. Moping about what would have been wasn't the way to live, especially when she had to be on her game to get out of the academy. She had no time for emotions to put a pause in her progress. For now, she would just enjoy the play.

Truthfully, Maemi was sulking, too. Her alice was much more destructive than what sound-related alices should ever be, making her nearly useless in making something good out of it.

She was still a young girl, she just wanted to help out her friends and have silly fun. Maemi had always been very mature, but she figured that everyone who had been forced to go to this academy had been forced to grow up a bit, too.

It didn't feel like elementary school when she had been watching the performance. The students at Alice Academy, she had noticed, were independent for the most part. They worked together and accomplished things that people a decade older would have trouble accomplishing.

Granted, class B did have some immaturity, the feel of the class was always very adult-like. Maybe it was because of people like Imai, Yu, who was the class president, Ruka, and Natsume. They always seemed above the understanding of others.

For the first time, Alice Academy seemed amazing. To have people like Youichi with such an intelligent look in his eyes before he could speak correctly. To have people like Imai who had a knowledge of things people of her profession could only dream of. To have people like Natsume who were powerful with such maturity that was nearly impossible for his age.

She wondered, if they were given the chance, would they change the world? Of course, that hadn't even needed questioning. They would, and they would do it like no one else.

As she thought on these much more optimistic matters, her eyes gleamed. Maemi had always admired things that were larger than life. All the confusion since entering the academy made her forget that.

The performance was about to end, and she watched eagerly, all the liveliness she had lost being returned to her.

Mikan held up a stick, which had been a substitute for a match, to make for a touching ending. It was unlit, which wasn't how the storyline went. Yu had been working hard on all the special effects, so adding one more would be too hard for his alice. The stick, unfortunately, couldn't have been lit in any discreet way, and Maemi feared that it would disappoint the onlookers, making everything everyone had worked for to diminish.

Then, a flash of fire suddenly appeared on the makeshift match, letting the audience "ooh" at the simple effect. It had been a real fire, she could tell by beauty of the flames.

Maemi looked over to that patch of decorative greenery to find Natsume staring directly at the match. It had been his doing, that much was obvious. That had been the best ending, and Maemi was elated.

Finally, she let a smile grace her face. She had been happy in the academy more often than she thought she would have been, but that wasn't a bad thing.

Later, when Maemi had abandoned the comfort of the roof in hopes of enjoying a walk around Central Town, Mikan went to congratulate everyone on a job well done. She even found Natsume attempting to sleep and offered him some Howalon, but like always, he'd rudely ignore her.

No one was sure what, but he seemed to be thinking about something. Ruka was the only one that noticed something strange about him. There was the hint of a smile on Natsume's face for a reason that had yet to be revealed.

••••••••••

Farther in that day, Maemi was alone in her room. She had been sitting on her window bed, one that she had to request to be put there. The ESP couldn't refuse many of her requests, she wasn't easiest person to handle.

Her room was actually specially made. It was at the top floor of the dormitory. It had everything a special star student would expect, but with a few personal modifications. Maemi had every decoration in the room to be a pastel color. The light, soft shades relaxed her.

Other than the bare necessities, there wasn't much. The only notable thing in the room was a simple white pot next to her bed. It held a plant that she had bought earlier that day at Central Town. The product was called the Insta-Fruit, a plant that would immediately sprout an edible fruit when watered. It was created by a teacher who had the plant manipulation alice.

Maemi used the large jug of water she had at her nightstand to water the plant. Instantly, as the name would suggest, an apple sprouted. She watched as it went through the whole cycle of life before it ripened, all in a second or so. She grabbed it and started opening envelopes she had scattered around her bed.

Maemi ate as she ripped them all open, not yet looking through the contents of any. There were only four envelopes, but they were a large rectangular shape.

She had been a bit peckish, having skipped lunch. In fact, if Maemi had been in a regular class in a regular elementary school, class would've just ended, meaning she went that entire time without so much as a drop of water or a light snack to nibble on. Forget peckish, she had been _starving_.

After having opened all of the manila mail, Maemi had dumped the entirety of their properties out on her bed. Photos and letters fell down, all the letters written in sleek, cursive sentences.

She grabbed the photos and excitedly examined them. On nearly every one of them, there had been an adorable blonde boy who was Maemi's age. He sported mossy green eyes and a pale complexion, but had the brightest smile.

She smiled softly as she looked at him playing outside. Maemi looked through all of the pictures and was delighted to find that boy laying in bed in only one of them.

Of course, there were other people in the pictures. There was a man and woman, both looking thrilled. The man had brown hair, the woman black. They played with the young boy, looking like a beautiful family.

The side of Maemi's lips curved downward in discontent. _Stupid_, she thought, _how could they act like this only around him? _That thought put Maemi in a sour mood.

Throwing the pictures of the adults across the room, she went on to read the letters. The first one read:

_Dear Mi,_

_How are you at your new school? Did you make friends yet? Is the food good? Mom and dad don't talk about you, but I'm sure they miss you a lot, maybe as much as I do._

_The doctor gave me some really strong medicine to help my body. Mom and dad said it was really expensive and that they had to work really hard for me to have it. It's working a lot. I can do lots of things now._

_I know they're lying though._

_I can takes walks in the parks and go to the movies, but I really wish that I could do them with you! Mom and dad didn't answer when I asked them, but when are you coming home? I hope it's soon._

_Love, Vincent _

Maemi giggled and searched through the few other papers. She happily read all of them. In one picture, the boy was smiling cheerfully, putting up a peace sign with his fingers. She took that one out and pinned it on the wall right next to the window.

Taking a last bite of the apple, she dumped it in the trashcan. Maemi spread herself out on her bed and gave a long exhale, looking at the boy's picture.

"I'm going back," she said to the photo, but more importantly, herself.

* * *

Special dedications go to **_Mahishi_** and **_ . . _**

Review, follow, favorite, and chat with me.

Bye, my _lovelies_!


	4. Welcome Buddies

**Well, I'm back with the latest installment of SoT, so hello. I don't have much to say, since I'm in a bad mood. ****Review, follow, or at least do something to make me know that you're there.**** That'll cheer me up.**

**Sorry if this chapter seems bad or something, I dunno. Anyway, have a nice read...!**

* * *

For the past few days, Maemi tried whatever she could to escape, to find her way out of the terrible cage she was forced in. It was a disgusting feeling, not being able to do anything about her predicament but aimlessly struggle. The person behind all of it was undoubtedly the Elementary School President, that sadistic, conniving, underage man who seemed to stop at nothing to make her feel cornered. He was the main problem; he was the reason the adults always kept such a close eye on her.

She sat in the back of the classroom at the seats Sumire and her minions usually took. A few minutes in class and she had already been struggling, but not with math or whatever the subject the teacher had been currently teaching. The leash around her neck was the problem, it had given her constant stomach aches, and there was nothing she could do about them. She sat by herself trying to keep her expression from revealing the struggle she was facing trying to block out the pain.

"Hm. . . Maemi! Read from where I left off," Narumi ordered, smiling.

Maemi inwardly sighed. "I don't know where you left off."

His eyebrows scrunched together, giving her a look of disapproval. She wanted to smack that off; he knew what was happening to her, but he had the nerve to act like she was the one at fault. Stupid adults, she hated them, they were so unfair.

"Paragraph ten, sweetheart," he told her.

"I would read it," she said, placing her words out slowly, "but I don't have a book, and I'm in no state to focus on tiny words, _sir_."

He, along with most of the class, looked at her for a full few seconds. He shook his head and said, "I'll talk about this with you later, but for now… Natsume, you read!"

All eyes darted to the table next to Maemi at the boy who had a mask of a black cat covering half of his face. "No," he answered. Sumire sighed dreamily for a reason Maemi couldn't understand, but only her and Narumi didn't fully grasp the charm in his curt response.

Narumi sighed, running a hand through his long blonde hair. "Anyone else like to read?"

Mikan's hand immediately went up, along with Sumire. Narumi looked between the two of them, pinching the bridge of his nose. For once, he would like for the background kids to answer, but all they did was react. The kids who actually held a presence always caused trouble in one way or another, and if he picked either Mikan or Sumire, a huge argument would break out about it.

"Yu, read. Now."

"Huh?!" The class president's eyes widened at the sudden order, but proceeded to read out the text in choppy English.

A little while after that episode, class had ended.

"I want the following to stay with me in the classroom for a bit: Maemi and Natsume."

Maemi groaned as she heard her name. Her stomach had been hurting so much that she could spit out bile and acid, and if she could help it, it would land on Narumi-sensei. She sat, watching as everyone else left the class. Sumire was last, being the one most reluctant to leave. She could already feel the vibes of jealousy the girl sent in her direction, but she wasn't in the mood to entertain them.

Natsume looked like he had been napping the entire period, and Maemi would guess that he probably had been. It certainly made more sense than him paying attention to the narcissistic teacher. Ruka was gone, but not without whispering a few things to his raven-haired friend.

"Calm your nerves, you're not in trouble," Narumi coaxed as soon as they were alone. He was met with silence and unchanging stares. "A-anyway, there's a new student arriving soon and I need you two to be her welcome buddies."

Maemi rolled her eyes. "And of all the sweet, friendly people in our classroom, you decided _we _were the perfect ones for the job?"

"I smell bull," Natsume said, eyeing the teacher suspiciously.

Narumi sweat-dropped, looking at the two children uneasily. "Well, since Maemi is new-"

"That's great logic you have there, but give me the reason why you thought fireboy over here is another winning choice," Maemi cut in, crossing her hands over her stomach.

Natsume quirked up an eyebrow at his new unoriginal nickname, but turned his attention back at the girly teacher.

"Okay, okay, I just thought it'd be fun to pair you two up on something."

Maemi sighed, setting her head on her desk. She gave Narumi a droll look and said, "I think I'll pass, sensei."

"Wah, this is the first time you've called me sensei! Say it again, that was adorable!" Narumi cheered, momentarily forgetting the subject at hand.

Both Natsume and Maemi gave him a look. Maemi's bordered on disbelief while Natsume's looked beyond annoyed. "Please shut up," Maemi told him.

"Consider it, it'll raise the behavioral grade of both of you," Narumi explained, disregarding the previous word exchanges.

Natsume wasn't interested in the least bit, and he was just about to leave when Narumi spoke up again.

"Natsume, if you do it, I'll excuse all those times you skipped class."

Natsume walked on and responded with a simple "I don't care." With that, he disappeared from view out the door and left Maemi to the dumb teacher.

Narumi sighed. "Come on, Maemi, don't you have a heart?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No..."

"Please?!"

"Shut up!"

"I'll let you skip a class."

"Three."

"Two."

"...deal."

Narumi smiled. "I knew you would come around."

"Whatever," she said, averting her eyes from the teacher. She walked out, stubbornly trying not to make eye contact with him, which Narumi believed to be adorable.

_So I'm dealing with a tsundere_, he wondered thoughtfully, a mischievous grin setting place on his lips.

When Maemi walked out, she was greeted with Natsume lounging on the wall, looking like he had been waiting for her. He was leaning on the wall, one leg crossed over the other casually as if he belonged there. He didn't acknowledge her presence when she noticed him.

"How do you know I have the the fire alice?" He asked, not a hint of emotion in both his words and eyes.

Maemi mentally slapped herself. He was much sharper than she estimated. "Word goes around," she answered vaguely.

"How do you know I have the fire alice?" He asked again, warning seeping out of his tone.

Maemi looked to the door on the other side of the hallway and wished that she were in front of it, merrily making her way out. Unfortunately, she had to deal with Natsume Hyuuga, and she had a feeling that he could be even more dangerous than the adults watching her every move. "The people in the Dangerous Abilities class were introduced to me," she hesitantly answered.

"I thought you were in the Special Abilities class."

"I am, now I have somewhere to be, so if you'll excuse me," she said, speeding off in the opposite direction. After a few long seconds of power-walking, she turned around to see in relief that no one had followed her.

She put a hand over her heart, heaving out a breath. That was close. Maemi didn't want others knowing about her trouble with the higher-ups. It was her main problem, and having people bug her about it was just more inconvenient. Quickly, she pushed open the large doors and stepped outside, revealing tranquility and fresh air.

At this time of day, students were in their alice-based classes. She would've been in hers had Narumi and Natsume not held her up. Maemi shook her head and headed towards the direction Tsubasa showed her not long ago.

On her way there, Maemi just so happened to bump into someone, someone really strange.

A girl just about her age stood in front of her, black irises shown clearly in her widened eyes. She had dark brown hair, the kind of shade that just wasn't enough to be called black, and exotic olive skin. Her hair was styled into a wavy bob, the top part being held tightly with a bobby pin.

"You must be the new student," Maemi said, giving her an understanding nod.

Instead of greeting her back, the girl furiously bowed down, muttering apologies. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. My. . . My name is Acantha."

"We mutually bumped into each other," Maemi said with a small smile. "No need to apologize. I'm Maemi."

"Thank you," Acantha said, visibly relaxing. She straightened her back to look at the girl in front of her, who looked as calm as ever. "Narumi-sensei said that I could find my. . . welcome buddy? If I walked in this direction."

Maemi inwardly snickered. There was so much manipulation going on in the current situation, but it felt oddly relaxing, as if this was meant to happen anyway. Nodding, she said, "I guess I'm on the job, what do you need help with right now?"

"I'm supposed to go to the - the what?" She said suddenly, pulling out a wrinkled piece of paper from her pocket. She unfolded it and smoothed out the lines. Squinting her eyes, she read it. "The Dangerous Abilities classroom."


End file.
